Introduction

THIS GUIDE IS A WORK IN PROGRESS! WILL UPDATE REGULARLY!

Wazzup guys n' girls! I hope you're having a great day out on the rift! My name is Noah who also goes by my in game name Hisame. I'm a platinum Kled main with more than 100k mastery points in this champion, so I would say that I'm qualified to make a in-depth guide on him. I've mained many champions since I started playing League of Legends in pre-season 6, but almost all of these champions have something in common which is that they are either top or mid champions.

That's enough about me, let's talk about Kled instead. Kled is a mobile bruiser who's mainly played top. He can also be used mid and jungle but that is pretty rare. At first sight he looks lik a champion that is quiet easy to learn and master but the truth is he's very skillbased (especially when it comes to using his dismounted form efficiently). By combining Kled with the perfect items he'll become a force to be reckoned with both mid and lategame and he'll be able to soak up damage while still being able to delete the enemy teams carries. While Kled is a champion which is at his best point mid/lategame he's also a champion that have the ability to snowball hard if he get's a kill or two early on.

Pros / Cons

CONS-Has some really bad matchups, like REEEALLY bad ones-Difficult to use Kleds dismounted version effectively-Easily killed if dismounted

To sum it up:
Kled is a very mobile bruiser who deals tons of damage while still being relatively tanky. Combined with "Press the attack" and his W he also deals a bunch of damage to tanks. Kled also has amazing roams due to his R and he can also hard-bully some champions in lane. But the biggest reason for Kled being such an amazing champion is that he's redneck AF.

While having a ton of great pros he also has some devastating cons. His biggest con being some of his matchups. These matchups can destroy you and render you useless until much later into the game. Kled is also easily one-shot if dismounted.

Runes

Press the Attack:
Press the attack is the rune I often go for due to it being so easy to proc thanks to Kleds W and titanic hydras auto-attack reset. Another reason for choosing this keystone is that it has a really good scaling into lategame.

Triumph:
Gives you more gold and helps you survive longer in fights or helping you survive after diving an enemy under their turret.

Legend: Alacrity or Legend: Tenacity:
Choosing between these two runes can be a difficult choice. Legend: Alacrity makes you dish out more damage while Legend: Tenacity, especially combined with mercury's treads, will reduce the duration of crowd control (CC) cast at you by a significant amount. I usually take Legend: Tenacity if the enemy team has many champions with CC, otherwise I choose Legend: Alacrity.

Last Stand:
This rune helps Kled deal more damage while dismounted!

For the 2nd rune-path you have two options depending of your matchup. VS a poke matchup where I will have a hard time by getting poked I always choose the Resolve path for more sustain. VS a champion where I have a chance to kill them and snowball I usually go the Sorcery path for more damage and movement speed.

RESOLVE PATH:

Bone Plating:
Helps you survive poke, especially in lane.

Second Wind:
We take this for the same reason as we are taking "Bone Plating".

SORCERY PATH:

Celerity:
Gives you movement speed and makes you deal more damage while running towards enemies while in dismounted form.

Scorch or Waterwalking:
Here we have two options, either Scorch for more damage or Waterwalking for more better roams through the river and making you stronger in fights in the river.

Summoner Spells

Flash:ALWAYS take this summoner spell on Kled!

Teleport:
Helps you get back to lane and make teleport-ganks. Teleport is also better lategame than "Ignite" is. Only downside to Teleport is it's now long cooldown at 360 seconds.

Ignite:
Due to the nerfs to Teleport's cooldown I now usually go Ignite. The reason for me going this instead of Teleport is that: 1. It makes it easier for you to snowball 2. I play Kled in a very aggresive way.

Always take this vs champions with high sustain such as Vladimir and Dr Mundo.

Abilities

Passive, Skaarl the Cowardly Lizard:
"Kled is accompanied by his semi-trusty mount, Skaarl!

Mounted: Kled's health cannot be improved except through growth, instead Skaarl has 400 - 1505 (based on level) (+ 100% bonus health) health and, while together, all damage dealt to the duo is suffered by Skaarl. Upon being reduced to 0 health, Skaarl flees the battle. While being dismounted, Kled is briefly untargetable and any damage in excess of Skaarl's current health is ignored.

It's this that makes Kled such a special champion. Not only do you have to learn his mounted form but you also have to learn Kleds dismounted form which is very difficult to learn and use property *cough* I mean properly. You can read more about how to use it properly in the gameplay chapter.

Q, Beartrap on a Rope / Pocket Pistol:
"Beartrap on a Rope (mounted): Kled hurls a beartrap tied to a piece of rope forward in a line, dealing 30 / 55 / 80 / 105 / 130 (+0.6 per bonus attack damage) damage to all enemies it passes through and attaching itself to the first enemy champion or large monster hit. Minions take 50% increased damage.

Pocket Pistol (dismounted): Kled sprays a hail of five pellets in a cone, dealing 35 / 50 / 65 / 80 / 95 (+0.8 per bonus attack damage) damage to all enemies that intercept the pellets, and dashing in the opposite direction. Enemies hit take only 20% bonus damage per pellet beyond the first.

Each pellet that hits an enemy champion restores 5 Courage.

Kled periodically stores ammo, up to a maximum of 2 stored at once. Kled will store ammo even while mounted."-Mobafire
So, as you can read above, Kleds Q have two versions to it. First it's mounted version and then it's dismounted version. I would personally say that Kleds mounted version of Q is easier to learn and master than the other version. Let's first take a look at the mounted version.

To be honest this version can be a bit tricky to land sometimes due to it having a delay when throwing it. I usually first dash in on the enemy with my E and THEN use the Q. This way I'm almost always guaranteed to land it due to me being extremely close to the enemy. Another thing to ALWAYS remember is that if you have it off cooldown, right before you get dismounted, ALWAYS use it. The reason for doing this is that the cooldown of the mounted version of Q doesn't affect the cooldown of the dismounted version. So you basically get a free Q off.

Kled dismounted version of Q (Pocket Pistol) is a lot more difficult to use and master. Here I can give you some advice on how to use it properly (and how not to):

+While chasing an enemy DON'T use it if you're not 100% sure you will get the kill. Because if you don't get the kill you, will probably, not be able to catch up again due to it knocking you further away from the enemy.

+While trying to get back to your mounted form first use your 4 basic attacks from your W and THEN use your Q at point blank to easily get Skaarl back.

W, Violent Tendencies:
"Kled periodically enters a frenzy that grants him 150% bonus attack speed on his next 4 attacks for 4 seconds, with the final attack dealing 20 / 30 / 40 / 50 / 60 (+4.5 / 5 / 5.5 / 6 / 6.5% (+5% per 100 bonus attack damage) of target's max. health) bonus physical damage, capped at 200 against monsters."-Mobafire
This is Kled's main source of damage (especially the 4th hit which deals max HP damage). Four of these combined with a Q which you hit all of your 5 bullets with will give you back Skaarl while you're dismounted. Here's some tips and tricks while using it:

+At level 2 you'll usually wanna put a point in this ability. A common mistake many people make is that they instantly level it up. Here, instead of leveling it up, you wait until you really need it and level it up right before auto-attacking. This way you will be able to control when you wanna trigger the ability. This is ofcourse just a trick you'll be able to use once per game, but it might help you somehow.

+While dismounted I usually try to first get some courage back with my Q (Pocket Pistol) and then go for an all in and just go nuts.

Kled and Skaarl mark the last enemy champion or large monster they hit, gaining the ability to reactivate Jousting to dash a fixed distance through the marked target, dealing the same damage to all enemies hit."-Mobafire
This is a great ability in Kled's kit. It makes it muuuuch easier to stick on your target's. There's not much more to say about it other than that you should save your 2nd dash in case that your opponent flashes or dashes away. You also need to remember that the 2nd dash can go over walls, if the enemy has jumped/flashed over it and you've marked them with the 1st dash.

While charging, the duo gain bonus movement speed and a shield, both increasing over the duration.

The shield builds up to 200 / 300 / 400 (+3.0 per bonus attack damage) and lasts for 2 seconds upon finishing the charge. The duo trails a directional draft on their wake that lasts for 6 seconds and grants the same movement speed to all allied champions who follow their lead.

Skaarl homes in on the first enemy champion encountered, knocking them back and dealing 12 / 15 / 18% (+12% per 100 attack damage) of target's max. health in physical damage based on the distance traveled."-Mobafire
You can't cancel it, so be careful when and how you use it. It might go past all of your enemies (if they dodge it) and then you might be in a really bad spot. Try to have a plan B when using it. You can read more about how to use it in the gameplay chapter.

Items

Start Option #1
I usually buy these two items as starting items. Doran's Blade is amazing due to it giving you health, life-steal and a bit AD. Also pick up a potion for the 50 gold you have left.

Start Option #2
I take these two items if I'm up against a champion who will poke me A LOT. Doran's Shield gives sustain and the potion is the best thing to buy for the 50 gold left.

First Back Option #1
If I don't have enough gold to buy the full "Tiamat" I usually buy two "Longswords" and one "Rejuvenation Bead" and then when I have enough gold for the whole "Tiamat" I will buy it.

First Back Option #2
If I have enough gold for "Tiamat" I usually buy it. If I'm up VS a auto-attack based champion who also heals (like Irelia and Fiora) I usually buy "Bramble Vest" to be able to trade. You CAN also buy "Ninja Tabis" VS champions like Tryndamere and Jax but I usually don't do this.

Booty Options:
Ninja Tabis VS heavy AD teams or heavy auto-attack based lane-opponent. Mercury's Treads VS heavy CC team (always take the rune "Legend: Tenacity" if you know you will buy Mercury's Treads that game). You can also buy "Boots of Swiftness" if really fed but I don't do this very often.

Core Items:
After buying "Tiamat" I usually go "Black Cleaver" due to it's amazing stats that benefit you (Health, CDR, passives and AD). Then if I need the added burst from the auto-attack reset from "Titanic Hydra" I rush it, otherwise I leave the "Tiamat" be for later and buy other items.

Now you have your core items (boots, Black Cleaver and Tiamat/Titanic Hydra). Now it's time to buy either offensive items or defensive items depending on what you need/want. These items need to fill three item-spaces. I usually go for 2 offensive item + 1 defensive item OR 1 offensive item + 1 defensive item + 1 of the other viable options that are both offensive and defensive.

Offensive Items:

Blade of the Ruined King (Bork) or Lord Dominik's Regards
Take one of these two if the enemy team has multiple tanks. I, personally, go BoRK more often due to it both giving life-steal, attack speed, AD and the amazing passive.

Mortal Reminder
Take this if the enemy team has A LOT of champions with sustain. For example, if the enemy team has Vladimir top, Warwick jungle and a Draven ADC, you 100% wanna buy this item.

Stormrazor, Youmuu's Ghostblade and The Bloodthirster
"Stormrazor", "Youmuu's Ghostblade" and "The Bloodthirster" are all really fun items to use if you want a lot of burst. Sometimes I buy this if I'm snowballing and are up against a squishy team-composition.

Trinity Force
This is such a weird item on Kled. It gives nice stats and passives that are good on Kled (except mana). The only problem is that it is MUCH worse than "Black Cleaver" which you have to remove from your build if you go "Trinity Force".

Death's Dance
This item is so good I almost put it under "Core Items". It gives sustain, damage, cdr and a nice passive that makes you survive longer. I almost always go this as my 3rd, 4th or 5th item. Sometimes I buy it even before finishing my "Titanic Hydra".

Defensive Items:

ARMOR OPTIONS: Dead Man's Plate, Randuin's Omen, Sunfire Cape and Thornmail
All these are great ARMOR options. "Dead Man's Plate" if you want more movement speed and damage, "Randuin's Omen" (which I usually pick up) is great VS a team with a bunch of crit-champion or a fed crit-ADC, "Sunfire Cape" if you want more splitpushing power and "Thornmail" if the enemy team has a bunch of auto-attack based champions with life-steal.

MAGIC RESIST OPTIONS: Spirit Visage and Adaptive Helm
"Spirit Visage" if the enemy team has a fed AP-champion or many AP-champions overall and "Adaptive Helm" if the enemy team has a fed AP-champion which damages you with the same ability over and over again. A couple of example of these champions are: Cassiopeia, Ryze and Anivia.

"Gargoyle Stoneplate" is a very good item on Kled if you're gonna teamfight a bunch. "Zz'Rot Portal" is a decent item if you want more splitpushing presure.

Other Viable Items:

Sterak's Gage
A very strong item on Kled due to it making you survive longer and at the same time dealing more damage. It's almost a "Core Item" on Kled. I usually take it.

Maw of Malmortius
Nice magic resist option if you wanna deal damage at the same time.

Mercurial Scimitar
If you're up VS a team who have many champions with heavy crowd control (CC) you can take this item. It gives you an amazing "Cleanse" passive and a bit of life-steal, magic resist and damage.

Guardian Angel
A very good 6th item or 3rd item if fed (because if they shut you down they will get a bunch of gold). Gives both damage and a bit of armor, but it's most important part is it's passive which revives you.

Frozen Mallet
To be honest, Frozen Mallet is one of my favortie items in the entire game. It's not only a fun item to have due to it's slow, but it's also a great item for 1v1-ing/chasing (especially in combination with Blade of the Ruined King's passives). I take this if I need some tankyness but at the same time wanna be able to 1v1/chase better.

How to Kled

In this chapter I will focus on how I play Kled. I will cover my mindset while playing Kled, what I believe my job as Kled is and overall what I'm focusing on in-game. This chapter is ment to help, especially new Kled player, how to play him at a decent level. So without further ado let me start explain some sh*t.

My mindset while playing Kled:
Every League of Legends player is different. With Kled, it's no exeption. Some play him very aggresive and some play him in a more passive way. However in my opinion Kled is ment to be a champion that should be played in a very aggresive way. His Q and E makes him stick to his targets, Kleds passive helps him win duels, his W is even named "Violent Tendencies" AND your R is literslly Kled running in like a madman on a bouncing lizard. So why do I tell you guys all this? Well it's because I want you to know and understand that while playing Kled you HAVE to be very aggresive and just GO HAM! YOLO is pretty much the one word to explain Kled.

My job and what I focus on:
I believe that my job as Kled in-game is to bully my lane-opponent, use that advantage to snowball, roam to make my teammates also snowball and then use that advantage to win the game before I get outscaled or f*ck up. So I'm basically focusing on these 3 steps:Step 1: Bully lane -> SnowballStep 2: Roam -> Make team snowballStep 3: Win fast before outscaled

Combos

Basic Trading Combo:

Q -> Spam W Auto-Attacks or just attack once and back off

First throw your Q at the enemy champion. Then you can either use all of your W auto-attacks or just use one or two of them and back off. The best option is, usually, to use all of them (or 3 of them) so you proc your "Press the Attack" rune. If you miss your Q DO NOT I repeat do not continue with the combo. You will 90% of the times loose that trade due to the Q adding a lot of burst to your combo.

You can either start your all-in combo with R or just walk up to them. Hit them with Q, E over them and GO HAM with auto-attacks and then repeat. Add ignite if needed. Also try using your auto-attack reset on "Titanic Hydra" to deal more damage.